Amiibo are both the best and worst answer to Skylanders

It took a few years for Nintendo to pick up on the NFC craze, what after Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure taking off and creating what equals out to some of the most expensive character DLC for a game (though I admit, I can't get enough of them). Amiibos are enticing since unlike Skylanders, which are always original characters, are based on classic Nintendo franchises. Now you can adorn your desk with the likes of Marth, Samus, Donkey Kong, and many others, and then take them along with you into Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, and level them up to be lean, mean, fighting machines. But Amiibos can also live outside of the Smash ecosystem. Nintendo already announced a few first-party titles that will make use of them to unlock additional content, extending their worth beyond just one game or one franchise. But is that enough?

Why Amiibo have a leg up on the competition

As I just mentioned, Amiibo have the unique ability to make themselves useful for games beyond Super Smash. Nintendo was smart to make these announcements early, even if all the titles don't have the functionality built in yet, because it gives a slight hint into the future of these little statues.

As of right now, Nintendo has announced compatibility with games like Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker, Mario Kart 8, Mario Party 10, Yoshi's Wooly World, Hyrule Warriors and Kirby and the Rainbow Curse. The use and effect of Amiibo in all of these games will be vastly different. For example, Mario Kart 8 will allow you to unlock Mii costumes based on the Amiibo scanned in and Hyrule Warriors will unlock some character specific weapons.

Unlike Skylanders and Disney Infinity, which release a single game per year and also keep introducing new gimmicks and new toys, Amiibo already have a busy future ahead of them with seven compatible titles on the Wii U that will all be out by Spring 2015. If we're going to go by Nintendo's announced plans for these titles, we can use that as an indication for the Amiibo's future.

If Nintendo is putting forth an effort to make these figures worth the $13 you spend on each one, it's safe to assume that future Nintendo titles will continue to incorporate their use.

Why the competition still outclasses Amiibo

When it comes down to it though, right now the only solid gaming experience that comes out of using Amiibo is tied down to Super Smash Bros. And even then, its use doesn't unlock anything special you normally couldn't access in the game. Unlike Skylanders, which unlock new playable characters with vastly different abilities who also unlock previously inaccessible areas, Amiibo simply allow you unlock a customizable AI companion that you can train by having it fight against you or other CPU opponents, and… well, that's it. There isn't even a special mode dedicated to Amiibo.

Skylanders basically live and die by their figures, whereas Amiibo are a completely optional purchase. Even with seven announced games, what are the odds that every single character you purchase will be compatible with them? The best example right now is Pikachu in Mario Kart 8. There is currently no unlockable Pikachu costume, so that makes that particular figure already worth a lot less. And what about Marth and Ike? Arguably the two coolest looking Amiibo are most likely going to see the least amount of action, as I just don't see them working for games like Yoshi's Wooly World or Kirby and the Rainbow Curse. And yet, despite that, they still cost the same amount of money. You're always paying $13 for each figure, without knowing if they're going to be supported by any game on the Wii U. And don't even get me started on the Wii Fit Trainer.

Don't expect this kind of crossover any time soon

That makes their advertising somewhat of a lie. Not every kid is going to research each Amiibo figure. They'll see that they work in games like Mario Kart 8, only to pick up a Pikachu and be greeted with a message that tells him it's not compatible. That's like Nintendo saying "Hey, thanks for spending $13 on a cool looking paper weight."

Nintendo needs its own 'Skylanders' game

Despite Amiibo being compatible with other titles, we still have yet to see whether any of them are actually anything more than aesthetic unlocks (besides Hyrule Warriors). The simplest answer is also probably one of the more toughest executions. What Nintendo needs is an Amiibo specific title. One that will unite all of these characters together in a game that doesn't revolve around beating each other senseless until they fly off the screen.

But of course, that's easier said than done. It's a miracle to begin with that we have a game like Super Smash Bros., which pits characters from such vastly different franchises against each other. Creating a whole new game that uses all of these characters again in a meaningful way is a tall order. But if I'm even going to consider getting more Amiibo, I need to be assured that my investment isn't wasted.